The sun came out today and I thought it only appropriate to do some exploration this afternoon! I decided to check out the Kam Sheung Road area again. Usually, I'm here to visit the flea market by the MTR station or the Red Brick House, but rarely do I venture far from those areas.
Luckily for me, this little village area is quite close to the Red Brick House. I've done a little wandering around these lanes and courtyards before, but I thought it might be nice to blog about it (for those of you who might want inspiration for checking out the New Territories of Hong Kong).
These beautiful buildings are right along side the Red Brick House.
A couple of the residents of the area caught me gawking at their entryways and rooftops, which was a good reminder that I have to always be respectful of people's properties.
It's so beautiful how these buildings are so well preserved. And set in stark contrast are some more "modern" types of village homes. I mean, one of the homes was constructed in the 80s (pictured below), but still has that amazing OLD HONG KONG VILLAGE vibe.
I always love walking through the little alleyways and just soaking in the ambiance.
Around every corner, there is something beautiful and wonderful to find, like the incense holder (pictured below). I actually have a few neighbors that have these in our building. They put them in our communal hallway and burn incense every so often.
Somewhat Funny Story: When my new neighbor moved in, he actually lit some incense and performed a bai saan (a sort of spirit cleansing of the apartment next door). I smelled smoke, poked my head out of my kitchen and saw flames. I ran down to the security office and was freaking out about a fire in the next apartment.
Me and one of the security officers came back up and checked out the home. At the time, I didn't know the neighbor was in the house. I actually thought that the kitchen had caught on fire from something, but we knocked on the door just in case.
The new neighbor opened the door after a few knocks. The security guard explained what was up. The new neighbor realized I had freaked out over the fire and explained it was a tradition to cleanse the house.
Cultural Difference.
I still sort of feel like that was highly UNSAFE.
Back to checking out this village in the Kam Sheung Road area, I spent a good bit of my afternoon just walking through the alleyways and getting the feel of the village life.
I also chanced at checking out one of the abandoned homes that sits nearer to the car park area.
I also came upon a little garden area, there were several little patches of gardens, but this one had banana trees that looked so beautiful in the afternoon sunlight.
It still amazes me how modern and traditional things can sit side-by-side.
This home, in particular, was so beautiful to me because the owners restored the relief on the outside walls of their home.
Another lovely afternoon exploring the New Territories. It's good to just get out and take a walk some times.
